Alpine Muley Trip

[spear]

A lot of talk lately about "Alpine Muleys", gets me excited to get up high in the early season, a few questions for the pros though.

Are any of you guys staying up there for long? ie. 4-7 days

I usually only have a few days to scout during the off season since I live on the Island, should I concentrate on one area only?

What kind of boned out weight should i be expecting on my pack out, more than likely skull without cape.

Is a spotting scope and absolute need for this trip or can I get by with a good set of binos?

Thanks for any help

[Weatherby Fan]

When we start scouting in late june we always go to the same area that we hunt and drop some supplies off,we try to do 3 day scouting trips.

Hunting trips are usually the same sometimes just the weekend depending on how far in were hiking,3-6 days never any longer for Mule Deer.
Once were there we always try to check out some new hills as you can cover alot of area off in a few days if your familiar with it while scouting.

When Im in the alpine scouting or hunting I rarely glass without setting up my spotting scope first,good advice I got from a sheep guide when I was younger.If you have one use it ! I try to keep the sun on my back in the morning while glassing.
As far as boned out weight I've never weighed it but one of the places we hunt were in 17 kilometers so we only shoot one deer between the 2 of us.
WF

[guest]

I have to agree with the 1 deer per 2 hunters thing, or 2 per 3 hunters ...... and good luck with the back if they are big bodied. Learn how to debone them.

The use of spotting scopes is a must to keep you from wasted efforts on 4 pt. rule's etc.

Water can be a tuff find in some area's, we use alpine willow glumps as a source, snow pack, alpine lakes or ponds-puddles then boiling it if it has small critters swimming in it like Marmot Piss Lake.

Food, there's a tough one, carbs are what you need and lots of them so do your research. Pasta packs, soup packs, some dehydrated fruit, vegies etc.

Good luck to you, the alpine is a great place to enjoy your time afield.

CT

[spear]

Thanks guys, some good insight there. I like the idea of dropping off supplies, maybe a few cans and some water. Its likely I'll be solo so I'll keep doing the squats and leg press for the spring

[rattling_junkie]

I have been researching this same topic almost daily. I started a thread a little while ago and then decided to use the search function. There is a ton of information on this site. You will have a lot of reading for days! Good Luck.

[snareman1234]

Lots of things to learn about high country hunting.

One thing I learned this past fall is- Do not overlook the fringe of the alpine/ trees. I was up in the alpine, finding some bucks and lots of does, but when I headed into the timber on the edge of the alpine, it was much harder hunting, but WAY more deer. ( where I was anyways)

[bruin]

A lot of talk lately about "Alpine Muleys", gets me excited to get up high in the early season, a few questions for the pros though.

Are any of you guys staying up there for long? ie. 4-7 days

I usually only have a few days to scout during the off season since I live on the Island, should I concentrate on one area only?

What kind of boned out weight should i be expecting on my pack out, more than likely skull without cape.

Is a spotting scope and absolute need for this trip or can I get by with a good set of binos?

Thanks for any help

I would plan your trip based on how many days worth of hunting area you think you have. An area I hunt takes about 3 days to hunt it all properly. Some areas are bigger. You should be able to figure it out during you pre-season scouting.
As far as concentrating on an area.The better you know the area the better your chances are. I would start by finding an area with lots of signa and potential, if you can find some deer there right away, great. Get to know their hangouts and patterns.
I've never weighed a deer either and it depends on how much bloodshot and unedible meat there is (hopefully very little b/c early season bucks taste great!). If I had to make a guess I would say about 80 lbs boned out with horns and cape. You can knock off a couple of pounds if you cape the face and chop the skull plate and horns off on the hill.
A spotting scope isn't absolutely necassary but it will save you alot of walking. Even a lower priced scope like a Bushnell Elite 15-45 will be a big help.
Good luck!

[Whonnock Boy]

If I had to make a guess I would say about 80 lbs boned out with horns and cape.

At least. I am assuming you are not hiking yourself into alpine to shoot Joey Sizzler. If you get yourself a decent 4 point I would bank on 100 lbs possibly more. That would be a buck that hanging at the butcher is a 150 lbs. Easily done the earlier in the season you are hunting.